the neck ladies and gentlemen please welcome sheila tate. [applause]

i was so late i thought i should get started right away left good evening again. my name is joann drake chief administrative officer for the macon presidential foundation and institute it is our tradition and honor of men and women who you wear the uniform of the country via the ecm to join us in a pledge to the flag and remain standing for a moment of silence in honor of our former first lady barbara bush. i pledge allegiance to the fly of united states of america and to the republic or which is the one nation under god indivisible with liberty and justice for all

>> fake you. be seated thank you for coming out tonight you know what we represent here and in addition to our honored guests this evening we have a few special guests first we have sheila's roommate the 17 we also have some of my former colleagues and colleagues of white house one of her very close who was the assistant press secretary

and did get caught in the traffic and i am thrilled to have the reagan-bush colleague here who served in various positions with the cabinet we are thrilled that you could join us tonight. it is great. our speaker this evening has been a part of the reagan families in the early '80s serving as press secretary 1981 to 1985 after leaving the white house going back to public relations starting her own public relations firm with jody powell from other side of the aisle and in 1988 back to being a press secretary to

then george h debbie bush during the campaign for the presidency and as president elect during the transition. in 19891 of the 50 most powerful women in public relations and in 2001 named one of the hundred most powerful women in washington by washingtonian magazine but wasn't very dear friend it is my pleasure to welcome sheila tate to the stage this evening. [applause] lordy lordy. [laughter] i did bring my specs because i am getting older i have read the book i thoroughly enjoyed it i finished it once i got

back from washington d.c. it was fun and memorable with a lot of stories and things that i remember backstage, behind the scenes information i had not known about that all of that was centered toward public events and i am wondering if you can tell us first how do you become a press secretary to the first lady of the united states? and give us your first impression of nancy reagan. i carefully planned the whole thing. [laughter] i was working at the time. and he had taken of the campaign as the communications

director than that i need your resume in december and i need it right away there is a white house job that i think you would qualify for one to put your name in. so i thought working on the campaign. i did robo calling for john connolly. remember he got one delegate? [laughter] but i sent him the resume and he called me back to say at the blair house at 6:00 o'clock. so i scrambled to make with all presentable and trying to figure out if i was going to meet nancy reagan i knew it wasn't ronald reagan. so i got there and i was so

nervous i had to sit on my hands like this because they were shaking i have never met the first lady before. and she asked me a few questions and wanted to talk about what doing it she was concerned of youth drugs and and i remember thinking but what are your qualifications on the issue? i was not sure from the pr standpoint that would be a viable option. but i forgot how powerful a first lady can be and what a platform she has. in that extent got a call sitting up with a series of meeting in my personal hero jim brady in said it is down

to two people. then i'm your girl. i want the job. he said i am voting for you. since you hours later she called and offered me the job. as a friday night and on saturday night i was awaken with my phone ringing and it was the washington post simply had the story that they would not get out until monday. that was my introduction to life of a press secretary. >>host: we were get into the book but first we are very sensitive here at the presidential library so i wonder you go through many white houses that have as well -- overlap first lady's

could you give us a little insight into the relationship between these two ladies? i am sure that's about to come up anyway and share a story or two of mrs. bush has attributes. >> i came to understand after i left the white house that mrs. bush and mrs. reagan were not terribly close. but i have to honestly tell you i had no sense of that while i was working there. one thing you need to know about nancy reagan is she t -- treat staff professionally and does not gossip in that regard the first idea i honestly had was the first plane trip i took with george hw bush on the campaign and 88 he said sheila ride in the limo with me. and he said what is with the

problem between nancy and my wife? i said what are you talking about? they just don't get along and i said i honestly have never saw that or you that in the subject never came up again. mrs. bush called me and told me i was so thrilled i was working for her husband and then gave me the list of instruction that i cherish in the most important is every time you go to a hotel you gather up all the shampoos and soaps and put them in a bag and bring them to her. take all the stuff to a homeless shelter. she had bagged this bag for

one -- this big. she was extraordinary. i found bush one -- mrs. bush very funny but she could not tolerate being singled out and praised. one time princeton the day before the election i said to george bush you know you will win admit it. he said no i don't know that and he started to walk away and he said i will tell you something if i do win this country will fall in love with barbara bush. he was right. you can see the pearl necklace poster that is up on the highways now. the staff was afraid of her because he said what she thought.

and barbara and i talked to her staff remember this but mrs. bush would bring you picture and say look what i did. i would say it looks like you read a book with like santa claus. no no no it was a children's reading. i said then you have to have children in it. and then she would have another picture sitting in somebody's war low-level staff office with all of the junk around. i said that picture is supposed to reinforce your message and this is very confusing because there was all the stuff in the room and i don't know why you are there. and they got better at that. i was surprised in all the vice presidential years she had not learned and probably

because she didn't care about things like that. >> i think one of the hardest jobs in this country has to be that of the first lady of united states. it could be argued her press secretary is no walk in the park. take us through the first month of the administration and your time with her. talk about the evolution of nancy reagan as first lady and the press and where you fit into that maybe with the white house china and the designer gown and then the grid iron dinner. >> we will be here a while. [laughter] i want to know you kept it a secret from ronald reagan the neck that was a fascinating.

it really has become a legend at such an extraordinary experience for everybody. we spent the better part of one year this stepping. and that means nancy. [laughter] there was too much attention paid to refurbishing the white house, redecorating we raised $1 million dollars to do that from private money. he did need to china and china by the way has been ordered on average every 15 years. i know everything about this china. the truth is the white house will always politely say that over the years there is a loss but what it is it is lost in

someone's pocket. so the white house china cannot be replicated. they break the mold as soon as they make the set. you really don't have a choice after a period of time but to bring in a new set of china or you are mixing and matching all the set mom -- set. and there is just too much again the backdrop of the recession and that was a problem. the press wasn't friendly to nancy anyway because stories had been circulating that she wished the carders would move out earl early. i'm sure if she said anything i'm sure it would be our bike

to have more time to do something. but she never asked them. but this was before i got there thank goodness. and then my much later business partner to say the one thing that we really dislike is the way that you talk about the residence that was a good way to handle that. so they were doing the popularity polls and she was worried about it but she wanted to get this done and do it right and willing to take the heat was then ready when

they gave into her interest in the drug abuse and at the same time the march 1982 we knew we knew the grid iron dinner was coming up and review long -- we knew the chances for escaping unscathed were slim to none. so we had a little conversation with helen thomas who was very active he brought over charlie mcdowell who was the president and nancy agreed she would be amenable to a little song and dance routine. they already had the lyrics to

the song they would sing about her and they gave it to me and have what they thought what she should respond in it was a back of the hand to the press. so we brought in an incredible speech writer and we knew she had to make fun of herself and this was 13. her chance. we don't want the president to know about it. because if i focus i can surprise in my will not be so nervous. that was her thinking and there is a great story in the book he was in charge of keeping the clothes behind the stage.

and if you see the picture we actually have the outfit for you all to observe and enjoy. than the other vote one -- feathered ball law. but she kept saying i am nervous check on it. check on it. so at one point he said i really had to go to the men's room. all the urinals world are full and ran into a stall and i forgot i was wearing white tie and tails for the rest of the evening i had white tie and

wet tales. [laughter] when there is so many stories like that in the book marlon gave me some marvelous stories about nancy and reese gorbachev remix and i you should share one little tidbit of the cold arrival you will appreciate this lady's. >> normally ever the president and spouse goes out on the south lawn and they await the arrival of the state visitors and the gorbachev's were coming it is so cold recently moved everyone that is part of the welcoming ceremony indoors into the diplomatic reception room.

you know that room may be as big as this stage. and nancy notices immediately as they walk in that c-17 pantyhose have basically collapsed c-17. she noticed that nobody else saw this that she went over and took her by the arm and come with me around the corner to the ladies room it was fixed and nobody was wiser. but he felt she had done for more u.s. soviet relations. [laughter] than anybody else ever could. and she was a very committed communist and marxist intended to lecture but nancy did not like to be lectured to but

they didn't get along for a long time but then president reagan's term to meet in new york with the incoming president bush and that c-17 t17 was completely changed and she was nice and friendly and invited them to come to russia and they went and had a wonderful time. >> one of the stories that we have talked about is the children go get credit to nancy reagan for literally saving their life we have a gentleman here this evening was involved in the story intimately.

[applause] >> unless you are a surgeon how many people get a chance to save someone's life? but another child and it is the most moving moments that i had. and to shed light on this it turns out these two beautiful children are not related but one and you have a ventricular heart defendant they could not

walk more than a few steps without turning blue they would have to squat down to breathe and get their color back and then take a few more steps. leaving south korea we got a special request. for nancy reagan to consider because they didn't have the ability and soul korea at the time. except the press secretary the staff said no no no if you do it for one you do it for everybody. he said no. one at a time. i want to do this.

we brought the two children back on air force one. i can still see, by the way, the little boy sat on the laugh as a reporter and pretended to type on his computer the whole way back. everybody loved these kids and took him up to st. francis hospital on long island where the surgery was performed. unbeknownst to me that the children ended up being adopted by americans and american families they became brother and sister living in arizona then they moved to the pacific northwest. but his name was brett halverson. somehow he learned about nancy

and have seen the picture of him and vivi when nancy took him to the hospital. when he really realize he saved his life he said how grateful he was and invited him to the library the night tony snow was speaking and came to that dinner and said he ended up going to seoul korea where he worked for the fabulous organization that started the whole thing. and brings children from other underdeveloped countries now were those surgeries are performed there. so we did facetime and a half hour early one saturday morning talking and there was

a note from him not long ago at to be engaged to be married and i sent him this book. it's not that big but you know what it cost to send a book rhea? ups it is $220. the post office was only $70. but it was worth every bit like that is the kind of thing that transforms him that he when you have the ability to change somebody's life i think nancy was changed and greatly by it. she went to see them at the hospital. they give her christmas

present it was an amazing experience for all of us. >> so march 30, 1981, a significant impact on the history of this country this is the day that john brinkley junior attempted to assassinate the president. and if you don't know the story mrs. reagan was not with him at the event but she left her own luncheon and then pick up from there where you were from that point on. >> we were in georgetown at the national historic trust for preservation for lunch in her honor.

she caught my eye and basically signaled she was ready to go. so she made her pleasantries and we left. we later looked to recognize that with the time she was leaving almost exactly to the minute was the time he was shot. five minutes from the white house she goes to the residence as i walk in there is nobody in the office and the phone is ringing which is very unusual and i pick it up and it is a reporter from the washington car and said capitol police are reporting, the police radio is reporting there were shots at the washington hilton. do you know anything about it? i said no and i dropped the phone and i ran back toward

the residence. she ran this way. we went right to the hospital even though the secret service did not want her to they like safety. nobody knew what was going on. >> i think she even said i'm going in her agent said if you just wait she said then i will walk. he needs me. the neck you did not even know he had been shot. >> we had just found out when we got there. . . . .

>> where anyone who was injured was part of that party, you need to know where they are what hospital. , she gave me a list. i said where's jim brady and she said, he died. i walked about 10 feet before he found out that it wasn't true. that was the most horrible three minutes of my life. he was actually in surgery at that same hospital as we were speaking. but there was a false news report that he had died. his poor daughter who is a college student in colorado got on an airplane after driving from greeley, colorado to denver

and she heard on the radio that her father is dead. she flew all the way to washington believing her father was dead. the next day, i saw him and if my head was the normal had said his head was this big. it was horrible, just unbelievably horrible. nancy was so quiet the whole time. that same next day i was sitting in the room adjacent to the president's room with her and ron and patty. they were writing out statements they wanted to make. you would hear this constant smacking sound and nancy said you hear that?

i said there pounding his back to keep him from getting an infection. she would just wins every time she would hear it. i can still hear that sound. she started figuring out how to make him better right away. as soon as he was allowed to walk and they wanted him to walk, she had him up and he still had a syringe on his arm, she would walk him down the hall and they would pretend they would be dancing. she brought in every card that anyone sent and all the walls were filled with cards. and pictures from the kids. it was so traumatic for her,

first of all, she lost 10 pounds, she did not have 10 pounds. but do you think a change the way she operated white house? >> i never knew it change the way she operated. i knew she was terrified every time the president left the white house. she felt like that was the only safe place. as a result of that, there was something they read about astrology entered the picture. it made her feel better that she had some assurance that if he did this on this day be safer than if he did it on that day. >> did they change her security at all? >> no. >> her security, it's funny, some people resent security. nancy reagan embraced it. her detail were so loyal to her and so good.

there's a great story in the book about her leave agent named george he never talked to anybody but he wanted to talk to me. he sent me copies of the notes they had exchanged a day at the hospital he went into the chapel and he handed her the handkerchief. he said to her, there is nothing we can do now but pray. she wrote him a note back when she set back the laundered handkerchief, and they share that with me and i put that in the book as well. normally the secret service agents rotate. they don't want them to become complacent in their assignment. into comfortable with it. george was her lead agent for

six years. one day he was told he had to go into the oval office to see john simpson, the head of the secret service and the president. he goes in and they tell him the secret service is transferring him off of nancy's detail. but george was the one who is going to have to tell her. even the head of the circuit secret service was afraid to go tell her. >> that happened until the day she died. people were transferred in and out. her final lead agent she had him do it in blood, promise from the secret service director that her agent would stay with her until she died. it actually happened. that was the worst day in everyone's life, when the agent, not just for lead bit of anyone on her detail had to transfer

out. >> let me go to questions in the audience. i want you to get ready. i have a fun story i want sheila to tell that i had not heard before. before a trip were a group goes out in advance sheila did not do that often. once in a while she was out and about. she ended up in las vegas. the story was very funny. i thought maybe you could tell that. >> lessee, as you know, the reagan's were very good friends with frank sinatra. frank sinatra had his own private permanent apartment at the hotel. nancy was going out there to speak to the national pta, it was a group in las vegas.

and this was on drug abuse. so, well and was the first one is you growth you barbara? >> she was a project director, she was in charge of all the drug abuse events and things, she gets out there and she finds out that, i know -- and finds out the fan wants to bring in a slot machine. , they thought they she would like to privately play a slot machine or something. and this was in mrs. reagan

suite. so when she's there she could play slot machines. >> it's the whole detail is in the book, there were a lot of stories where friends created problems just by trying to be overly solicited and helpful. not so helpful. my favorite was ray, the famous producer of annie and what other -- a string of wonderful broadway shows. for annie, he had decided he wanted nancy reagan he invited her and said she would love to come to the opening. and her intention was to come in, sit down and watch and he decided he wanted her to come from the basement in an elevator that would rise up to the main floor on the stage, the doors

would open and all of this gray smoke and steam would come out and she would come through that missed and i think we were the one who first called me hysterical about that. so, i told ray we were not doing that, he just went out of his mind. i'm sure he tried to get us all fired. but she was happy with the way it turned out. she did not come out on the stage. >> we are going to take some questions, our only request is if you have a question raise her hand, we have some team members with microphones and we ask that you have the microphone in your hand because we are live streaming. if you don't have the microphone people cannot hear your questions. >> i was going to ask you about

the title of your book, and then i know you mentioned -- i'd like to know more about that. >> i live in charlottesville. it's a small town. everybody knows everybody's business. the best place to find out anything is to go to your hairdresser. i was in the chair and the editor had said, we have to come up with the name. so kimberly said where are you in the name for this book? and i said i do not know. i'm supposed to come up with a title. 's that i know what it should be. she said the lady in red. i sent an e-mail to the editor and said what you think about this and she said i just met with our staff, we like it, work clip and off the in the title is lady in red.

so, before i even had my hair dried we have the title of the book. she is so excited to have had a part of this. >> and of course is the official portrait of nancy reagan so that could be more appropriate. >> also, because i am visually impaired, it was important to me. the separate contract was issued in this book is now also available in large type. the pictures could not be in the book, but the large type book is there for anyone who needs it. i am thrilled with that - other any other questions. >> i was wondering if you would talk about the love between the two of them. it seems like she always had

this glaze when she looked towards the president, the letters, the things that were said it lasted for a long time. >> yes. the gaze was the thing that reporters love to make fun of her. she said if someone was speaking she was taught to it was polite to look at them when they spoke. she felt that way about anybody speaking. but she would not change just because of the president. it was a really deep and abiding love affair between the two of them. i remember the day, the first day he was able and clear by his doctors to start working half a day after the shooting.

she and i were going somewhere and we just cut out the door and he comes running down the hall and she says like this slow down. and he said i can't help it, it's my boyish exuberance. that's the way they were. they laughed, they were amazing we all say, that's the kind of marriage everybody should have. >> like you, when i met mrs. reagan i was shaken and had an impression. >> this is mr. donnell, the gift of life. i had this impression i was going to meet the wicked witch of the north. and shortly after everybody had left the room she was on the

floor with these kids tickling them kissing him. she loved them and they loved her. i was absolutely dumbfounded. obviously it she's a fabulous person, my experience as brief as it was is confirmed by the book. i my question is, why do we treat our leaders who in this case are really sensational people, good, kind, compassionate people so badly? what is it about us that we have to go out and destroy them or make everything, can we do anything about it? >> well, no. it goes back to the early days of the founding of this country. mary todd lincoln, martha

washington, they were all criticized, and some of the nasty stuff that went on with hamilton and jefferson, we have a long history of it. we have a two-party system. they get all riled up and go after each other. but, in the end someone like nancy reagan comes along and she gives through it. she turned her image around. she did it for her husband. the criticism of her went from this to that. people started to recognize she was a woman of substance. >> every presidency is different there's always controversy about

the book tonight so i haven't had a chance to read it i want you to talk her relationship with the white house resident staff. the reason that comes to mind is when i come from laura, the one time i got to meet nancy and the only time i ever met her was when nancy came back to the white house. >> before i had that party? >> yes. >> in the white house staff was giddy because they were going to have a chance to speak with her. it had been a number of years said she had been back. can you talk about the resident staff he transcends? >> the white house cannot run without the residence staffers.

some surf 50 years. just incredible people. i think almost every first lady comes to depend on the resident staff. she was no exception. the experience of not just the resident staff but the cabin stewards on air force one, they adored her. then i got some cute stories from them about the reagans. in fact, they were invited -- this is the dedication of the library. >> i have some fellow staff members in here who for days we had to go down the list and call the white house where were all of these people, including these

people who had worked there for 50 years. the hardest part was telling her, some have to stay because there's a new restaurant at the white house. we cannot have them all out at the same time. that would be difficult. they were thrilled, the air force one stewards were thrilled they told me, howie franklin who is a real character and charlie palmer came from the opening of air force one. it was that time that they impress the most that they got to sick to charleston heston. nancy walked all the way back to find charlie and had tears in her eyes. she was so excited to see him. >> it's unusual for a

presidential couple not to feel that way about their staff and make their life so much easier. >> i had a question. it seemed like she had a special relationship with mike wallace. they always seem to have a good -- >> mike wallace had a radio program in chicago. when edie mary davison moved to chicago, she gave up her acting career, this is nancy's mother. she gave up her acting career and brought nancy to chicago. what she would do occasionally was sit down and talk to mike wallace on the radio. mike loved her. there's some great stories about

ed. edie like to tell jokes, some of them a little bit inappropriate. anyway, but she's hilariously funny. and they loved her. when mike years later found out that governor reagan had married edie's daughter, he was excited about that and so the next step was that when the reagans went to the white house, mike called chris wallace who was a new be at nbc at the time and he introduced nancy and chris. nancy and chris are like this. but mike wallace could do no harm. and what she was doing a 60 minute piece with him, i could

hardly breathe because i know as much as he liked her, i know he could go in for the kill. >> he was a news man. >> and chris was the same way. and they sometimes got mad at each other. but they always got ended up friends again. >> one of the things you and i talked about and i know other audiences have set it to, those of us who are privileged enough to work with her and for her over the years came to known the real nancy reagan. in the white house staff and they loved her to death. we loved her to death. there may be days we were not as fond as there were other days. i wonder if you could just tell us as we finish up, what is it

that you think cause this constant misunderstanding? tell us what your favorite part of nancy reagan was. >> what you mean by misunderstanding. >> why did the press not understand it. why did the general public cannot see what we saw? >> they wanted her to be pro- abortion. they wanted her to support the equal rights amendment. she set up for equal rights, i just don't believe it needs to be an amendment in the constitution. unless you held those positions, they were antagonistic towards you in general. not completely, but in general. they were not predisposed to really like you. you have to break through that overtime. i think she did.

but, she was always reserved with reporters. she knew she did not want to make a misstep. she did not want to say anything that would embarrass her husband to create a problem. she was as careful as she could be. on that's when you're tending to keep yourself to yourself. >> what is that about her that you think people should know? >> was interesting to me was for a woman who had never had a staff until white house, first thing she said to me was that i will always take your calls. for press secretary, that is gold. that means the press knows they can get an answer for call me. that i will have talked to her and tell them what they need. that was important over a period of time.

she was always true to her word. there were days where i may have called her ten times. she said i just don't want to be surprised. i want to talk about it before you respond if it's something you don't quite know how i feel. the day i left she said, from now on i want you to call me nancy. in 1998 my husband died, had a heart attack and drop dead. her father had told her that grieving people need to cry and that you should help your friends cry. she called me once a week, may make it on the phone with her and i was trying to build by the

hour and we would have an hour-long cry fest. that was the kind of friend she became. we went from a professional relationship to a personal friendship. you cannot have a better from the nancy reagan. that's the truth. she cap she kept secrets. if you told her something confidence it never went anywhere else. you can take that to the bank. >> she was an amazing person. >> i am thrilled that you came. thank you for sharing this. >> there's so many fun stories, insights into the reagan white house. nancy, ronald reagan, what goes on behind the scenes. it's probably different than what it is today. we didn't have tweets going out

in the middle of the night. we did not have social media, but we had a great deal of respect. >> we didn't even have cell phones. we carry pagers and they went off 24/7. we knew when we left the white house at the end of the day that you probably were not going to hear back from someone until the next morning unless it was an emergency. i was never so happy to get rid of the pager. >> it must await 10 pounds. >> the radios that we use we literally called them bricks, there are that heavy. was the only way we could communicate with each other. it was a different time then. i suppose we didn't have fake news, we did not have fake love in the white house. i think you all for coming. i hope you'll come back for the next event in a few weeks. sheila has agreed to autograph

her book. you can get one here inside the store. she will take questions. she also brought some papers and some fun sketches. we will have them there. you can ask questions and talk about them. we'll see you all in a few minutes. thank you for coming. [applause] [inaudible conversation] >> book tv recently visited capitol hill test members of congress what they are reading the summer. >> i have to read a new book by john beauchamp called the soul of america.

i heard mr. meacham express it. it's about how we have come through some tough times. i understand it is inspiring. i cannot wait to read it. i also hope to read a biography of one of my favorite american presidents, dwight eisenhower. it's called the age of eisenhower. it is by professor william hitchcock of the university of virginia. when i was a little boy, i have the honor of meeting dwight eisenhower. he has always inspired me. he is now rated one of the best presidents in american history. i'm going to read chris matthews biography, bobby kennedy. i think chris matthews has done an excellent job in this regard. of course, we commemorate the

50th anniversary of the assassination of senator kennedy. these are three books at the top of my list to read the summer. >> book tv wants to know what you are reading. send us your summer reading list on a book tv on twitter. book tv on c-span2, television for serious readers. . .